the man of her dreams
by ZebraBow
Summary: AU/AH Bonnie's a wannabe psychic, Elena just wants to enjoy her tea, and Caroline's got a date with the man named Howard.


By ZebraBow

Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries.

So without further ado, here it is!

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Caroline was going to kill Bonnie the next time she saw her. Man of her dreams, _puh-lez_. More like man of her nightmares.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry as she smoothed down her brand new skin tight purple dress. She would make Bonnie pay for the new dress and also for the new O.P.I nail polish because lets be serious – that stuff is not cheap.

"Like I was saying," he ran his fingers awkwardly through his fake hair. She hoped that it was a wig because no one deserved to have such crappy hair. "It's hard work, but someone's got to do it."

She nodded while half zoning out of the conversation. Caroline gave a sigh and gave a wandering eye to the bar. Maybe she should get drunk enough to forget this horrible date. What a complete waste of a good Saturday night!

One thing was sure – Bonnie Bennet was going to get an earful from her when she got home.

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**The Man of Her Dreams**

."Okay, now place your hands on top of mine." Bonnie explained to her. She held her hands out on the table expectedly.

Caroline giggled and placed her hands on top of Bonnies. "Now what?" she asked.

"You're both being ridiculous." Elena said as she sat down on the chair next to Bonnie at their small breakfast table. Her hands carefully gripped a cup of tea.

"Don't listen to the non-believer Care. Now close your eyes and think positive thoughts." Bonnie said while closing her own eyes and relaxing.

"That's right Elena! You don't have to play along if you don't want to," Caroline sang tauntingly.

"Shh," Bonnie hushed Caroline.

It was a lazy Saturday morning and the three best friends were sitting around after breakfast in their pajamas. Their quaint little apartment which was in SoHo cost them a pretty penny every month, but it was everything they had hoped for and more. This morning was one of those rare mornings where Elena didn't have another article to write, Bonnie didn't have to work another full day shift at the hospital, and Caroline didn't have to go over marketing strategies for a new product.

Bonnie's new hobby had created a new outlet for the three girls. The dark skinned girl was always interested in the occult and had invested in a new pack of tarot cards from the magic shop in downtown New York. Caroline had always supported her friend in whatever interests she had so it came as no surprise when she agreed to let Bonnie do a cold reading for her.

"Don't you need a glass ball for this," Elena asked, "And be in a shady little place behind a curtain?"

"Elena, please be quiet." Caroline scolded her friend. "Bonnie is just about to tell me that Mr. Riverton is going to love my new marketing plan for the energy drink. Aren't you Bonnie?"

"No, I don't think that's what I'm picking up," Bonnie murmured quietly. Her eyes were still closed while she remained in a state of deep concentration.

Elena giggled and took another sip of her tea. She really loved herbal teas. There was just something so comforting about having a cup of green tea with a hint of lemon and honey after her morning meal.

Caroline gave a huff in frustration. "Well, it better be something good. I'm missing Bachelor re-runs for this." She opened her eyes and peaked a glance at her brunette friend was nursing her cup of tea. "Besides, you're just jealous that Bonnie was completely right the last time she did a tarot card reading for me and said that I was going to have a special day."

Elena gave Caroline a look of indignation – one that the blonde missed since her eyes were once again closed. "Buying a new pair of Manolos does not count as a special day, Caroline."

"It does if they were half-off. And only because of a little scuff mark on the heel." She straightened up in her chair and tightened her grip of on Bonnie's hands. "You know that the planets have to align for that kind of shit to happen."

"Hold on, I'm getting something…" Bonnie said.

"Yes?" Caroline asked expectedly hoping in her mind that the new YSL dress that she had her eye on was back in stock.

"Oh goodness," Bonnie said as a pair of widened green eyes opened, "You're going to meet the man of your dreams _tonight_."

* * *

A moment of silence passed. Caroline was still staring at Bonnie in disbelief. Elena's cup of tea was frozen in front of her face. Bonnie let go of Caroline's hands and gave her friend a small smile.

"Are you sure? Here check again," Caroline said thrusting her hands back on top of Bonnies.

Bonnie chuckled and closed her hands on top of Caroline. She closed her eyes and Caroline followed suit, "Nope, still the same."

"Still the man of my dreams?"

"Yup," Bonnie shook her head to give a little nod.

Caroline slunk back into her chair and muttered a soft, "Huh." She looked off into the distance, "Guys, I'm going to meet the man of my dreams – _tonight!_"

Elena was brought down to reality by this statement. "Come on Caroline, be realistic. There is a chance that you might meet your dream guy tonight like there is a chance that Mrs. Peake next door might decide to move far far away with her twenty cats."

Caroline was twirling around in their living room paying no attention to Elena's statement. Bonnie placed a comforting hand on Elena's arm, "Too late Elena, the universe has already spoken."

Caroline continued twirling with her hair whipping around her face while she gave a ridiculous high pitched giggle. It came as no surprise that Caroline was so excited. She had been searching for her Mr. Right since – well – _forever_. And he was finally going to show up tonight.

"Well, did the universe at least say where you would meet this mysterious stranger?" Elena was once again the voice of reason and Caroline stopped twirling when she heard this.

Her cheeks were flushed with excitement - obvious she hadn't given much thought to that question. Caroline was the type of girl who planned her wedding since she was three years old. She knew exactly what she wanted – a spring wedding with lots of sunflowers and an outdoor band. The only thing missing was the groom. She had scoured all over New York for the past few years and still hadn't met any guy that was the perfect match for her. Where was she supposed to go to meet this mysterious fellow?

At that exact moment, her blackberry beeped indicating that she had received a new text message. Caroline walked over to the coffee table and picked up her phone. She gave a squeal of excitement, "Looks like the universe answered!"

* * *

It was exactly six thirty p.m. that day and Caroline was a nervous wreck. Her external appearance didn't reflect the internal turmoil that she was facing. Golden hair sprawled out in soft curls and framed her face. Her new purple dress hugged all her curves and she knew that she looked beautiful. "What time is it?" she asked nervously.

"Exactly forty seconds since the last time you asked me," Elena answered in an annoyed tone.

Caroline huffed and re-read the text she had received earlier that day,

_Hey Caroline! You don't know me, but I know you from work. My name is Howard and I was wondering if you would come to dinner with me today. Meet me in JPs Steakhouse at seven. I will be the one wearing a brown jacked with a red tie._

If she had gotten this this message on any other day, she would have chalked it up to another creep asking her out. However, since this was the magical day she was supposed to meet her perfect match – and he was most probably it – she had sent an immediate yes in response.

After reading the text out loud for her roommates to hear, she had rushed out to get the perfect outfit together. After all, one only goes to meet their dream man once and she wanted to make an amazing first impression.

So, now she sat on their teal blue couch in their small apartment nervously drumming her fingers on her thighs. She was completely ready and needed only twenty minutes to get a taxi to the restaurant that he had picked out. Throughout the day, a million different scenarios on what her perfect man would be like had raced across her mind. It felt like she was high on adrenaline today.

"Ok, I'm going." Caroline said as she grabbed her small golden clutch. She gave Bonnie a nervous smile and she received a warm smile in response.

"You're going to be fine."

"Are you sure you want to do this Care? He might be a complete creep." Elena asked pleading with her friend. All day she had tried to convince her that going out to meet a total stranger that none of them knew wasn't that wise.

"It will be fine Elena. He's not a stranger," Caroline gave Elena a comforting smile, "Besides – he's my perfect guy. This date is going to be the most perfect night ever."

"I thought you didn't do blind dates or I would have let Stefan fix you with his friend Nik a long time ago. I swear, you two would be perfect for each other." Elena had been trying forever to get Caroline to date one of her boyfriend's friends. She kept claiming that the two of them would be a match made in heaven. Caroline usually shied away from blind dates – mostly because of her history with the horrible ones her Mom managed to find – but tonight was different. She could feel it in her bones.

Caroline walked towards the door and patted Elena's head on the way. The brunette was laying on the recliner with the latest copy of People. "Wish me luck!"

* * *

She checked her reflection one last time before she walked into the restaurant. Not a hair was out of place and a confident smile graced her face as she walked towards the hostess. Many men turned to look at the beautiful blonde who had just walked in. "Hi, I'm meeting someone tonight."

"Of course," the hostess nodded at her and Caroline entered into the main part of the restaurant. JPs Steakhouse was a watering hole for mainly businessmen, but she had been there a few times with her girlfriends. She scanned the room and her eyes fell on a man with a brown jacket. He was facing away from her, but was sitting at a table for two alone.

Her smile renewed and she walked confidently towards the table. Her smile faltered a little as she met face to face with Howard.

He stood up from his chair. "Caroline," he said in recognition and motioned for her sit down. "I have to admit that I was a little scared that you wouldn't come tonight. I've been stood up a fair number of times by beautiful women."

Caroline sat down, somewhat shocked by his statement. A waitress came to their table and Caroline mindlessly ordered something while she looked at Howard with a critical eye. He looked nothing like her perfect guy.

She was still picking at her appetizer with a fork when she noticed that he had stopped talking. The date so far had turned out to be total bore. She felt no real connection with Howard, but she hadn't been paying attention most of the time he was talking.

"So, what do you do Howard?" He had mentioned that he was her co-worker, but she never remembered seeing him around the office. For the life of her, she couldn't place which department he was from.

"I'm a horticulturalist." Howard answered with ease.

"Oh," Caroline answered trying to fake some enthusiasm. "What's that?"

"I take care of all the plants in the office – watering and pruning; it's hard work, but I like it."

Caroline almost choked on her strawberry daiquiri. She always thought the plants in their office were made of plastic. This date was horrible. There was no way her dream guy collected toy cars, watched cartoon reruns, lived with his mother, and was a horticulturalist. And he definitely had a head of his own hair. She looked at the mass of faux hair on top of Howard's head. It was an extremely poor imitation of a toupee and made him look more aged than what she hoped he was. The hairpiece looked like a dead squirrel was placed awkwardly on his head. She really hoped that the poor squirrel died from natural causes.

He continued talking while Caroline's mind wandered. She couldn't believe that this was how her night turned out. She would have to admit that Elena was right and possibly _wring_ Bonnie's neck.

Caroline was going to kill Bonnie the next time she saw her. Man of her dreams, _puh-lez_. More like man of her nightmares.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry as she smoothed down her brand new skin tight purple dress. She would make Bonnie pay for the new dress and also for the new O.P.I nail polish because lets be serious – that stuff is not cheap.

"Like I was saying," he ran his fingers awkwardly through his fake hair. She hoped that it was a wig because no one deserved to have such crappy hair. "It's hard work, but someone's got to do it."

She nodded while half zoning out of the conversation. Caroline gave a sigh and gave a wandering eye to the bar. Maybe she should get drunk enough to forget this horrible date. What a complete waste of a good Saturday night!

One thing was sure – Bonnie Bennet was going to get an earful from her when she got home.

* * *

"Look Howard," she said interrupting him on his spiel about the difference between all of the variations between the various Spider Mans. Caroline wasn't even aware that there was one more than one until tonight. She muttered up all of her courage and looked him square in the eye. She had to end this horrible date. Caroline was beyond sure that she wouldn't _survive _a course of desert with him. "I'm sorry, but I don't think this is really going to go anywhere."

Howard looked a little crestfallen at her confession. She reached over the table and placed a comforting hand on top of his. "I'm sure that your perfect girl is out there somewhere. But I don't think _I'm_ the one for you." Or you're the one for me, for that matter. She bit her tongue and held back from saying that statement.

Howard brightened a little, "Thanks for coming to dinner Caroline."

Caroline watched as Howard walked away feeling a little bit sorry for the guy. She knew that he was a little awkward, but she truly believed that he would _eventually_ meet his perfect girl. At least, from now on, she would stop pouring out the horrible office coffee into the potted plants at their office – since they weren't made out of plastic like she always thought.

She could feel a headache coming on. God, she _really _needed that drink.

* * *

"Scotch on the rocks" she told the bartender. The bar was somewhat crowded by men in suits who were prowling around for someone to go home with. She had received more than one appreciative glance her way, but all she wanted to do was drink this date away.

Dream guy – her ass. She huffed a little and took a swig of the scotch. Her eyes scanned the restaurant when it landed on a familiar face. It couldn't be him, could it?

"Damon?" she asked incredulously as she walked over the dark haired man who was just flirting with a ridiculously long legged brunette.

He turned to look over in her direction, "Blondie! What are you doing here?" He gave her a one handed hug. "And all by your lonely self, I see. I'm surprised that the three musketeers separated for a night."

"I was on a date." Her face grimaced, "but enough about me. What about you? Trying to pick up some chicks - you know how your brother feels about your one night stands." She scolded him while trying to do the best imitation of Stefan's constantly brooding face.

Damon chuckled when he saw her expression. He threw up his arms in defense, "hey, just because he's a saint and almost practically married to Elena doesn't mean that I can't have my fun."

Caroline gave an airy laugh and jokingly punched his shoulder. "Well, if you need a wingwoman tonight. I'm your girl. My plans kind of fell through tonight." She admitted sheepishly.

"No need Blondie. I already have a wingman for tonight." Damon downed the rest of his whiskey. "Here he comes. You know what they say – speak of the devil and he shall appear."

Caroline looked and saw the hottest guy she had seen in a long time – most probably in her entire life – walk towards them while double fisting two glasses of whisky. His curly blonde hair was cut short and he looked ruggedly handsome even though he was wearing a business suit.

"Here's your drink mate," he said as he handed a glass to Damon. Caroline noticed the accent and willed her legs to not go all _jelloy_. "Looks like you struck out with the brunette, but who is this beautiful angel?" He asked while looking at her.

Caroline at least remembered to close her mouth while Damon gave a low chuckle.

"Klaus, meet Caroline. She may look like an angel, but has the personality of a heathen." Damon said while introducing them. Caroline wanted to punch his smug smile off his face, but blushed when Klaus took her hand.

"Hello love," his dimples were prominent as he gave her a wolfish grin.

_Swoon_

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In the end, it turned out that Bonnie was right. She did meet the man of her dreams that night.

And a lot while later, she begrudgingly agreed with Elena when she said that they were a match made in heaven.

_Fin_

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Authors Note: Hope that all made sense. It was super scattered, but that's how my brain works. Got it?!

For more Klaroline goodness: read capture and free fall.


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